The forest clearing grew quiet again.
Two corpses lay on the ground.
The Stoneback Boar.
The Shadow Lynx.
The harvested parts had already been packed away.
Now a new presence filled the clearing.
Karl stood a few meters away, sword resting casually on his shoulder. Sunlight filtered through the trees and glinted faintly on the blade.
Behind him, four members of his team stepped out of the forest.
Zane grinned immediately.
"Well well."
"Looks like the sun squad followed our smell."
Karl chuckled.
"Hard not to."
His eyes drifted toward the harvested monster parts.
"Looks like you're already making money."
Zael said nothing. He simply studied Karl for a moment.
Karl tilted his head slightly.
"So."
He pointed deeper into the forest.
"There's a Rockhide Bear nest about two kilometers from here."
Zane's eyebrows shot up.
"Oh?"
Karl continued.
"Rank B monsters."
"Four or five of them from what we saw."
Zane whistled.
Those things were nasty.
Thick armor-like hides.
Heavy strength.
And a temper that made them charge anything that moved.
Karl smiled slightly.
"My team was going to clear it."
He shrugged.
"But then we ran into you."
His grin widened.
"So I thought… why not make it interesting?"
Lily crossed her arms.
"A competition?"
Karl nodded.
"Simple."
"First team to collect three cores wins."
Zane cracked his knuckles.
"And the prize?"
Karl smirked.
"Losers buy dinner at the camp canteen."
Zane pointed immediately at Zael.
"Boss."
"Free food."
Zael thought for a moment.
Strategically there was no real downside.
They needed beasts anyway.
Karl's team clearing nearby monsters would also reduce risks.
Zael nodded once.
"Fine."
Karl's smile widened.
"Good."
He raised three fingers.
"Three cores."
"First team back to the gate wins."
Zane pumped his fist.
"LET'S GO!"
Karl pointed deeper into the forest.
"This way."
And both teams immediately moved.
---
The forest blurred past them as they ran.
Branches snapped underfoot.
Birds scattered into the sky.
Zane ran ahead like an excited predator.
"First core is mine!"
Lily rolled her eyes but kept pace.
Zael moved calmly behind them, quietly scanning the environment.
A few minutes later—
Lily suddenly raised her hand.
"Stop."
Everyone halted.
Ahead, the trees opened into a rocky clearing.
Large boulders covered the slope.
And between them—
Four massive beasts moved slowly across the ground.
Rockhide Bears.
Each one nearly three meters tall.
Their thick grey hides looked like natural stone armor.
Zane grinned widely.
"Jackpot."
Karl's team arrived a moment later.
Karl stepped beside Zael.
"Four of them."
He glanced at him.
"Looks like we can start."
Zael drew his sword.
As soon as his hand wrapped around the weapon—
Supreme Blessing activated.
Golden light briefly flowed across the blade.
---
Steel Combat Sword
Grade: Uncommon
Attack Power: +80
Durability: 300
Effect: None
---
The light intensified for a moment.
Then faded.
---
Aurora Edge
Grade: Rare
Attack Power: +220
Durability: 900
Effects:
• +20% attack speed
• 15% armor penetration
• 10% chance to trigger Internal Shock (deals additional 150% attack damage)
---
Zane stared at the weapon.
"…Boss."
"You just cheated."
Zael tested the blade once.
The air sliced cleanly.
Sharper.
Lighter.
Better balanced.
Karl's voice came from behind.
"Already starting without us?"
Golden light ignited around Karl's sword.
Solar energy flared faintly around his body.
"First core wins."
One of the bears noticed them.
It lifted its head.
Then roared.
The entire nest exploded into motion.
Four massive bears began charging down the slope.
The ground trembled beneath their weight.
Zane grinned wildly.
"THIS is what I came for!"
Zael stepped forward calmly.
His mind was already calculating movement paths.
Target priority.
Angles of attack.
But just as both teams prepared to clash—
A deep rumble echoed from the cave behind the bears.
Everyone froze.
Something inside the cave moved.
Then a massive shadow slowly filled the entrance.
A creature stepped out.
Twice the size of the others.
Its armor plates were darker.
Thicker.
Its eyes burned with feral intelligence.
The Rockhide Bear Alpha.
Even the other bears stepped aside slightly.
The Alpha inhaled deeply.
Then released a thunderous roar that shook the entire mountainside.
Dust fell from the rocks above.
Zane blinked slowly.
"…Boss."
Karl lowered his sword slightly.
Even his expression shifted.
The Alpha Bear took one heavy step forward.
The ground trembled.
Then—
All four normal bears suddenly turned toward the students.
Five monsters.
Two teams.
One nest.
Karl's grin slowly returned.
"Well."
"Looks like the competition just got interesting."
The Alpha suddenly lowered its massive head.
And charged straight toward Zael.
The earth shattered beneath its weight.
——
The Alpha Rockhide Bear moved like a collapsing mountain.
Each step shook the ground.
Its armored hide scraped against stone as it charged straight toward Zael, jaws open in a deafening roar.
Zane burst out laughing.
"Boss! That thing likes you!"
Zael didn't move immediately.
His mind was already working.
Distance.
Speed.
Weight.
The Alpha was massive.
Which meant two things.
Extremely strong.
Extremely predictable.
At the last possible moment—
Zael stepped forward.
Void Step.
His body vanished.
The Alpha's claw slammed into empty ground.
BOOM
The earth exploded where Zael had been standing.
But Zael had already reappeared beside the monster's neck.
Aurora Edge flashed.
Night Sever.
The blade cut across the Alpha's shoulder.
Sparks flew as steel met armored hide.
The strike carved a deep line through the stone-like plating but didn't fully break through.
The Alpha roared and swung its massive arm.
Zael retreated instantly.
The claw tore through the air where he had been.
Meanwhile—
Zane had already jumped into the chaos.
"MY TURN!"
He charged one of the normal bears head-on.
The bear swiped its claw.
Zane ducked and drove his gauntlet upward into its jaw.
CRACK
The bear's head snapped backward.
Before it could recover—
A spatial ripple appeared beside it.
Lily stepped out of distorted space.
Her dagger plunged into the creature's eye.
The bear collapsed immediately.
A system notification appeared.
EXP Gained: 900
Participants: 3
EXP Division: 300 each
Zael's EXP: 3,720 / 6,000
Zane wiped his hands.
"One down!"
Karl's team was already fighting the second bear.
Karl's blade blazed with solar energy.
"Solar Edge!"
His strike exploded across the bear's side, leaving a burning gash.
Two teammates followed immediately.
Within seconds—
The second bear collapsed.
Karl's system notification appeared as well.
Meanwhile—
Zael focused entirely on the Alpha.
The monster turned again, furious.
It roared and charged.
This time faster.
Zael didn't dodge.
Instead—
He stepped forward.
His blade hummed.
Blade Domain activated.
Energy rippled outward from him in a faint circular field.
The Alpha's movement became clearer.
Every shift of muscle.
Every step.
Every opening.
Zael slid beneath a swinging claw.
Aurora Edge flashed again.
Resonance Strike.
The blade struck the same damaged armor plate from before.
The impact vibrated through the metal.
CRACK
The armor plate shattered.
Now the Alpha was bleeding.
The beast howled in rage.
It reared up and slammed both arms downward.
Zael vanished again.
Void Step.
He reappeared behind it.
His blade rose.
Then fell.
Night Sever.
The strike pierced directly into the exposed wound.
The Alpha staggered.
But it wasn't dead yet.
Instead—
It turned violently and slammed its shoulder into Zael.
Zael crossed his sword to block.
BOOM
The impact launched him several meters backward.
He slid across the ground before stopping.
Zane glanced over while wrestling another bear.
"Boss you good?!"
Zael stood calmly.
Dust fell from his clothes.
"Fine."
Across the battlefield—
Karl had just finished his second bear.
He glanced toward Zael.
Then at the Alpha.
His eyes lit up.
"Oh."
"Now that's interesting."
The Alpha Bear roared again.
Blood poured from its shoulder.
Its eyes locked onto Zael with pure killing intent.
Then it charged again.
But this time—
Zael didn't move.
Instead—
He raised his sword.
Energy gathered along the blade.
The moment the Alpha entered striking range—
Zael stepped forward.
One clean motion.
Night Sever.
The upgraded blade flashed like lightning.
The cut passed cleanly through the exposed neck.
For one second—
Nothing happened.
Then the Alpha's massive body froze.
A thin red line appeared across its throat.
And the giant creature collapsed.
The ground shook when it fell.
Silence returned to the clearing.
Then the system notification appeared.
EXP Gained: 6,000
Participants: 1
You gained: 6,000 EXP
Zael's EXP: 9,720 / 6,000
LEVEL UP
Zane blinked.
"…Boss."
Karl stared at the fallen Alpha.
Then laughed.
"Well."
"That answers that."
But Zael wasn't looking at Karl.
Or the corpse.
Because another notification had just appeared in his mind.
Devour available.
And something about the Alpha's corpse felt…
Different.
Much more powerful than the beasts he had devoured before.
Zael slowly stepped toward the body.
Then placed his hand on the Alpha Bear.
The Devouring trait activated.
Energy surged violently into his body.
Far stronger than before.
And suddenly—
A new notification appeared.
New Skill Acquired.
Zael's eyes narrowed slightly.
Because the name of the skill was something he had never seen before.
Titan Core.
To be continued…